LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – In group chats, social media posts, and community meetings, one topic keeps coming up – immigration enforcement in Las Vegas.
The Nevada Immigrant Coalition held two separate press conferences on Monday and Wednesday, it said valley attorneys have been warning of an increase in enforcement this week and it warned of immigration agents appearing in plainclothes and unmarked vehicles.
When FOX5 reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment, a spokesperson for the agency said “due to our operational tempo and the increased interest in our agency, we are not able to research and respond to rumors or specifics of routine daily operations for ICE.”
One recent video, posted by ICE watchdog, Francisco Silva, who goes by “What Happens in Vegas-Oficial,” amassed 31,000 views in just one day.
The caption reads in Spanish, “it looks to be an apparent operative by FBI officials.” With comments asking, “is this ICE?”
FOX 5 has not independently verified what took place in the video.
However, FBI of Las Vegas has publicly posted about ongoing operations since the beginning of February. Photos shared by the agency show what appear to be unmarked cars, and officers in plain clothes. The FBI said they are “dedicated to supporting ICE partners in immigration enforcement.”
“What I have been informed is that the people that have been arrested have had criminal records, so they were targeting certain people,” said valley attorney Adriana Pereyra. “I did hear that they were around grocery stores, but they were not doing raids, they were not taking, you know, just anybody.”
As of Thursday, there have been no confirmed raids in Las Vegas. Advocates explained right now the best thing families can do is stay calm, verify information and have a plan.
“I like to focus on empowering our community and what it is that we can do instead of worrying about all the potential hypotheticals and trying to scare people,” Pereyra said.
She explained its important the undocumented community know they too have rights.
“The constitution still protects them, and they have the right to remain silent. They still have the right to ask for an attorney, and that’s what we urge people to do in case that they are detained.”
Silva said he’s been seeing what looks like detainments and arrests involving plain clothes officers in unmarked cars since late January. What’s different now, he said, is the scale – instead of one or two officers making an arrest, he’s now seeing groups of five or six.
A spokesperson for ICE in Las Vegas said enforcement has increased since Jan. 20, but so far, the agency has not confirmed a surge in activity here in Las Vegas this week.
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